Latham fallout spreads

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The shock waves from Mark Latham's attack on the Labor Party
widened yesterday with a federal Labor MP openly questioning Kim
Beazley's future as leader and salvos exchanged around the
party.

As senior Labor figures battled to contain the damage, Tasmanian
backbencher Harry Quick said the party was in "real turmoil" and
needed "a strong leader".

Mr Quick said people were talking about "who are we going to
replace him with?"

Although the numbers are not there to replace Mr Beazley, Mr
Latham's bitter attack has reinforced the anger of the old Latham
group in the caucus, who feel done down by last week's
reshuffle.

Mr Latham's claim that Mr Beazley is a "stand-for-nothing"
leader, while infuriating many in the party, has also struck a
chord because of the worry that Mr Beazley is not articulating a
clear enough position to the electorate.

The book that has sparked the fresh unrest, Loner: Inside a
Labor Tragedy, was officially launched in Sydney yesterday by
veteran Labor senator John Faulkner.

In the book, Mr Latham slams the party he once led as "beyond
repair, beyond reform" and calls three Labor premiers "A-grade
arseholes".

In other fusillades revealed yesterday, he also lashes Labor's
national secretary, Tim Gartrell, who he says ignored his
instructions and failed to counter the Coalition's attack
advertisements at the last election.

There are also broadsides for MPs Bob McMullan and Lindsay
Tanner. After the election, Mr Latham accused Mr McMullan of having
leaked during the campaign - a claim the former frontbencher
vehemently denies - and told him he should go to the back bench. In
doing so he told McMullan that he had been fingered by Mr Gartrell,
breaching confidential advice.

Mr Latham also recounts Mr Tanner giving him an ultimatum: to
make him shadow treasurer or he would go to the back bench. "So I
found him a nice spot down the back."

The book also reveals that Labor's foreign affairs spokesman,
Kevin Rudd, thought he had talked Mr Latham out of setting a
deadline for an Australian troop withdrawal from Iraq - a week
before the leader's politically disastrous "troops out by
Christmas" pledge.

Launching the book - and with a nod at Mr Latham's political
diaries, to be published later this year - Senator Faulkner urged
the former Labor leader not to "burn his bridges" with the party.
"Labor is very generous to our former leaders - when they allow us
to be."

Senator Faulkner sought to inoculate against any further damning
revelations in Mr Latham's diaries, quipping: "Diaries are like
that: they reflect the opinions, the blind spots and biases of
those who keep them."

Senator Faulkner also reminded Mr Latham that leaders of
political parties were "subject to special demands and expectations
of discretion".

Earlier, Mr Quick defended Mr Latham, saying he could understand
"his angst and disappointment with people that he thought he could
trust and brought into the fold, and they shafted him in a big
way".

Mr Quick accused frontbenchers Wayne Swan, Stephen Smith and
Stephen Conroy of being "after" Mr Latham from the day he became
leader, "like they were after Simon Crean". He said these three -
known as the roosters - were "still causing mayhem in the
party".

Mr Smith hit back at Mr Latham, saying he had been given a
"clean shot" at becoming prime minister. "From the moment Mark
Latham became leader of the Labor Party until after the last
federal election, he was given an absolutely clean run," he
said.

Bob Carr, one of the three premiers Mr Latham described as
"A-grade arseholes", had a return swipe. "I think in politics, as
in other aspects of life, it's always nice to act with a bit of
grace, to overcome the bitterness and anger that might be in your
nature."

Mr Beazley was also strongly defended by Australian Workers
Union chief Bill Shorten, who is trying to get endorsement for a
federal seat at the next election.

Launching a blistering attack on Mr Latham, Mr Shorten said the
former leader was "displaying all the attributes of a dog, except
loyalty". He accused Mr Latham of a "remarkable act of selfishness"
that was obviously part of his recovery and therapy.

Mr Shorten said he felt "quite angry on behalf of Kim Beazley
and all the workers and all the people who are trying to provide a
decent opposition in Australia".

He also said he was surprised Senator Faulkner had agreed to
launch the biography.

Mr Beazley, visiting Gladstone in Queensland yesterday, tried to
stay aloof from the turmoil. He said his priorities were to get a
fairer tax system, to ensure the industrial relations system
remained fair and "not to read the book about Mark Latham".

The ALP yesterday circulated quotes from Mr Latham praising the
party he now condemns as having no future.